[color=brown][b][u]International Coffee Day, 2022[/u][/b][/color] --------- [b]Leo the Patriotic Lion:[/b] [i](narrating)[/i] Leo the Patriotic Lion here again. We pick up where we left off in the highlights of my second (and much tougher) year as President of the United States, with me asking you this question. Do you ever get the feeling there's a made-up holiday for every single day of the year? There's so many I can't keep up with them. However, this is not a bad thing. It gives people reasons to get together and make our world a better place. Such was the case with this next highlight, which happened on October 1: International Coffee Day. [b]Lionus the Chivalric Lion:[/b] [i](narrating)[/i] International Coffee Day (1 October) is an occasion that is used to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage, with events now occurring in places around the world. The first official date was 3 October 2015, as agreed by then International Coffee Organization and was launched in Milan. This day is also used to promote fair trade coffee and to raise awareness for the plight of the coffee growers. On this day, many businesses offer free or discounted cups of coffee. Some businesses share coupons and special deals with their loyal followers via social networking. Some greeting card companies sell International Coffee Day greeting cards as well as free e-cards. For the purposes of what we were going for here, the celebration was in London, and the Zanicchi Administration plus any G-52s willing to come by were invited as honoured guests. We were also starting to see the Wildcat City-based custom clothes company, [i]Uniforms 'R' Us[/i], finally go global, creating uniforms for all occasions. The owners said they wish they had gone global sooner; it gave them headaches trying to keep up with all the orders, but it also shows how good an influence the Drumbums and Forsythians have been. Musically speaking, they are the best thing that ever happened to this world. [b]Lencho the Abyssinian Lion:[/b] [i](narrating)[/i] The event also invited me to act as a guest speaker, because when you look at the history of coffee, it is said to have originated in our part of the world: Africa. You might of Colombia or Brazil when you think of foreigners doing coffee, but they didn't do it first. ------------- ------------- ------------- *Later, we are in London for International Coffee Day, where there is a citywide coffee-themed festival complete with marching band musicians in brown coffee-themed uniforms.* *London, UK* [b]Dalton:[/b] Welcome to London, everybody! It's International Coffee Day! [b]Chuong:[/b] Whoa! Even the marching band uniforms are coffee-themed! Looks real nice! Are they coffee scented? [b]Dalton:[/b] *Chuckles* Not really, but at least the brown colours, tones, and designs makes for a nice marching band uniform. [b]Zax:[/b] As an American, I tend to forget that British people drink coffee, too, not just tea. [b]Dalton:[/b] Of course we drink coffee! Those who say we don't are either lying or have never even heard of us. [b]Zax:[/b] Or is just American. [b]Dalton:[/b] Silly Americans. Anyways, we have a special guest speaker, and his name is Lencho the Abyssinian Lion. Why him? Because in his country, Ethiopia, that is where coffee was discovered long time ago in the ancient days. Thus we scheduled him to speak to the attendees before this festival begins. [b]Chuong:[/b] Being Vietnamese, I'm sure you import a lot of our coffee and tried your hand at making Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk at least. [b]Dalton:[/b] Of course, of course. [b]Zax:[/b] And don't forget 3D printed things and sculptures using coffee ground filaments, along with, say, furniture, made with coffee grounds. [b]Dalton:[/b] That would be the fun part of this festival. [b]Chuong:[/b] And there's plenty of dalgona coffee, right? [b]Dalton:[/b] Of course there will be dalgona, coffee. [b]Summer:[/b] China and India claimed to have made beaten coffee before Korea did, but their beaten coffees are actually different from Korean dalgona coffee. Indian beaten coffee is nothing like dalgona coffee because as far as I know, dalgona coffee is beaten coffee foam on top of milk. Indian beaten coffee is more blended in with milk with ice. [b]Dalton:[/b] Dalgona is also a cold drink despite not using ice, right? [b]Summer:[/b] Correct. [b]Chuong:[/b] And look who's here! The one and only, world favorite, Leo the Patriotic Lion from the United States of America! So before we let your Ethiopian parallel, Lencho the Abyssinian Lion, does his opening speech before this festival begins, what do you think about the brown coffee-themed marching band uniforms these musicians got on? I like the coffee bean shakos. [b]Leo:[/b] I'm rather enjoying this. I'm so happy [i]Uniforms 'R' Us[/i] went global so that events like this could be made even better, because everything is better with a marching band. *to Dalton* I also hope the transition is going smoothly; there's a small part of me that was hoping the Queen would make to 100 because her mother lived to be 101. Instead, Prince Charles is now King Charles III. [b]Tom:[/b] *to Lionus* How long do you think he'll reign? [b]Lionus:[/b] If he lives to a certain point, maybe 10 to 15 years. I hope for his sake, he does; he was the longest-ever heir apparent, and thus, the oldest one to ever have a coronation, although his will only be the second one ever televised if it is televised. There's also certain parts of Her Majesty's funeral the royal family has asked can never be repeated in broadcasting, but that's different business. [b]Tom:[/b] That makes sense; when our networks in the U.S. were playing coverage of the funeral, they were randomly skipping around to different parts every 20 seconds, it looked like. [b]Dalton:[/b] I hope so too. Right now, Lencho is getting ready to be the guest opening speaker for this festival. [b]Chuong:[/b] He better give a short lecture to the British about the history of coffee and the fact is that coffee was discovered in Ethiopia during the ancient ages, when herders noticed their goats were eating coffee cherries before becoming rather jumpy and hyper from them. ----------- [b]Lencho:[/b] [i](narrating)[/i] This is fact. And I did give a full speechabout coffee, but for time purposes, we're not showing all of it; just bits and pieces of it are shown to get you started. If you want to learn more, you can find out on the internet (Wikipedia for instance), go to your local library to find books on coffee or go to a museum, or just ask somebody who knows the answer. Got a question? Go find out! ----------- [b]Lionus:[/b] I think he plans to do that. We live in an era of dispelling myths. [b]Chuong:[/b] Okay. Is he ready? Sounds like he's got a lot to say today about coffee. [b]Leo:[/b] I believe so. *Lencho takes the podium.* [b]Lencho:[/b] Hello. Welcome to today's International Coffee Day celebration. I don't want to take too much of your time, but I've been asked to give a few remarks about the drink. It is often said that coffee was discovered in Ethiopia during the ancient ages when herders noticed their goats were eating coffee cherries before becoming rather jumpy and hyper from them. The original domesticated coffee plant is said to have been from Harar, and the native population is thought to be derived from Ethiopia with distinct nearby populations in Sudan and Kenya. *He speaks on for a bit.* [b]Lencho:[/b] The first coffeehouse in England was opened in St. Michael's Alley in Cornhill, London. The proprietor was Pasqua Rosée, the servant of Daniel Edwards, a trader in Turkish goods. Edwards imported the coffee and assisted Rosée in setting up the establishment. Coffee was also brought in through the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. Oxford's Queen's Lane Coffee House, established in 1654, is still in existence today. By 1675, there were more than 3,000 coffeehouses throughout England, but there were many disruptions in the progressive movement of coffeehouses between the 1660s and 1670s. During the enlightenment, these early English coffee houses became gathering places used for deep religious and political discussions among the populace. This practice became so common, and potentially subversive, that Charles II made an attempt to crush coffee houses in 1670s. I think we all know how that turned out. Coffee wasn't dead. It lived out that surge and it survived to this day. *He continues on with the speech.* ----------- *After the speech, everybody applauds as the festival begins with someone ringing the bell. The vendors open up their businesses in selling coffee-related items. The marching band plays one more number before dismissing to partake in the drinks themselves.* [b]Chuong:[/b] And so it begins! *Watches a Turkish coffee vendor staff working on making some Turkish style coffee.* Oh, that's interesting. Cook them on sand in metal cups and there. [b]Dalton:[/b] I think I'll go ahead and try the Vietnamese dripped coffee with condensed milk. *He tries it.* Fabulous, I must say! [b]Chuong:[/b] I didn't know Charles II tried to ban coffeehouses in England. But Lencho spoke some interesting facts about coffee in England. [b]Summer:[/b] *Drinks some dalgona coffee.* And this coffee was made during the COVID-19 pandemic and became popular through the internet from Korea. [b]Zax:[/b] Better than Starbucks! *Sits on a chair made with coffee grounds from a 3D printer.* Drinking coffee from a cup made from coffee grounds while sitting on a chair made with coffee grounds. Coffeeception, anyone? [b]Monarch Major:[/b] Ba-dum, shhh! [b]Nadav:[/b] *Drinks some coffee.* Nothing better to start the day with some Ethiopian slow-roasted coffee that has a hint of deep rich chocolate in it. No wonder why coffee is one of Earth's most popular drinks. [b]Chuong:[/b] Hey, Juno! I'm not sure if fennec foxes and coffee mix because they say your species tend to be hyper. [b]Juno:[/b] That's why I drink the tiniest amount if I drink coffee. [b]Konrad:[/b] I don't think the G-52s want to deal with a hyper fennec fox on coffee. They'd be bouncing off the walls left and right. [b]Zax:[/b] I know my boyfriend knows better, so he doesn't do that. [b]Rainier:[/b] Try adding ADHD into the mix of fennec foxes and coffee. Good luck! [b]Chuong:[/b] Sounds like you've seen a fennec fox drink too much coffee. [b]Rainier:[/b] Yes, I have. Let's just say with his ADHD, it took at least six of his friends to hold him down. [b]Juno:[/b] Yeah; I don't think ADHD and coffee mix well. [b]Lionus:[/b] Anybody here not a coffee drinker? [b]Super C:[/b] I'm not. [b]Cripto:[/b] Not me either. Still, it's fascinating to watch. *He also watches the Turkish vendor staff do the Turkish style coffee.* [b]Frank:[/b] I may not be from Utah, but I heard Mormons do not drink coffee and tea, because they consider them to be drugs. [b]Zax:[/b] That's odd because some American churches provide coffee for attendees before their Sunday services. [b]Frank:[/b] Mormons are, in a way, odd, so... ------------ [b]Levon the Christian Lion:[/b] [i](narrating in English)[/i] My guess is that it is the stimulants in coffee and tea that have led the Mormon people to lie to themselves about it being a drug. Coffee is something that can be addicting and cause problems if you drink too much of it because of the caffeine. ------------- [b]Zax:[/b] Understandable. Drugs in the common definition are usually highly processed substances or substances that have significant psychoactive qualities, such as marijuana. The G-52 Code of Conduct about drugs uses the common definition about them, of course. [b]Chuong:[/b] One could argue that if God didn't want His people to do drugs, why did he create them and gave people the knowledge to process them in the first place then? [b]Zax:[/b] I think it goes back to original sin and the story of Eve eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge. [b]Dalton:[/b] Speaking of forbidden fruits, coffee cherries are technically forbidden fruits. Whilst they're edible and tasty, they do not have the same qualities as actual cherries, which have way better quality than coffee cherries do. Coffee cherries tend to have a tougher skin in comparison and do not have as much fruit flesh as regular cherries do. Thus, if you were to eat a coffee cherry, most of what's inside is the coffee bean itself. Therefore unlike regular cherries, coffee cherries are more difficult to pit. *He motions towards a model rendition of a dissected coffee cherry.* [b]Chuong:[/b] No wonder why most people prefer the coffee beans over the fruit that covers them. [b]Dalton:[/b] Precisely. [b]Kirk:[/b] I'm so glad to be here to not only know more about coffee, but also see how coffee is made around the world. [b]Leo:[/b] Even if they weren't banned, I'd still want an actual cherry over a coffee cherry. *to Zax* I think you guessed correctly; my guess is Levon would make the same argument. The forbidden tree was known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Those drugs are part of the evil. [b]Super C:[/b] *to Frank* I can't wrap my head around some of their beliefs. I know some Mormons forbid polygamy now (which is also a criminal act in the United States), but that doesn't mean people aren't doing it. Does it? [b]Frank:[/b] Polygamy today on Earth is basically a dead practice. In Bhutan, it is still legal, but polygamy is no longer practiced there. Too much stress in having more than one partner, let alone having children with multiple partners. Just not worth it. [b]Chuong:[/b] Most countries, Vietnam being one of them, outlaws polygamy. They're also associated with cult leaders, too. [b]Astro Hawk:[/b] *Drinks some cold Indian whipped coffee.* Polygamy also died out in the Muslim world as well, because it's too much to handle and makes personal life management difficult. [b]Juno:[/b] *Drinks some cascara tea.* They got some tea made with coffee cherries. It's pretty good! They call it cascara tea. [b]Leo:[/b] Now that I will try because I drink a bit of tea. *He does so.* [b]Lionus:[/b] Any good? [b]Leo:[/b] Yeah. *Super C and Cripto drink zero-calorie sparkling water, since the event staff want to serve everybody.* [b]Super C:[/b] Thank you. I do like the blackberry lemonade flavor of this. [b]Event Staff 1:[/b] You're welcome. *to Cripto* How about you, sir? [b]Cripto:[/b] Have you got any lime flavors? I've always had a bias towards the color green for whatever reason. [b]Event Staff 1:[/b] I don't think we have just lime, but we do have cherry limeade. [b]Cripto:[/b] I'll have some of that. *He hands one to the tiger of purity.* [b]Cripto:[/b] Thank you. [b]Event Staff 1:[/b] Not a problem; we thank you for what you and everybody to protect this world, especially with the AIRAF's drones lurking about. [b]Cripto:[/b] Oh, yes; that was nuts. [b]Chuong:[/b] They sent a few drones to my country, despite the rainstorms there. I'm surprised they're so weatherproof, they even remained stable in midair there during such storms. [b]Tyler:[/b] They sent several of those things to my country. It looked like they were scanning our facilities of military contractors. [b]Diamond Knight:[/b] They sent a lot of the attacking drones to Falkland Islands, and my military had to back the Brits on that one. Those drones looked like something you'd see from the aliens at first. [b]Chuong:[/b] The AIRAF wanted to showcase their technological capabilities to give us a taste of what to expect at the minimum. Mastering the use of unmanned technology like that is quite scary as it is. [b]Dalton:[/b] We have several drone factories being set up all over Britain to help counter such threats. So from the looks of things, there will be plenty of fighting between their unmanned vehicles against our unmanned vehicles. But then that means plenty of debris raining everywhere left and right, since most of this would be aerial, I assume. [b]Summer:[/b] Now that you mentioned it, I wonder if it will be easier to cleanup if the plastics on drones use coffee grounds. There's already prototypes of bullet casings made with coffee grounds, since military technology doesn't always have to be dirty and conventional; it can be green as well, so cleanup is easier. [b]Dalton:[/b] Good question, but in the end, don't expect much of that in the military field. It's still going to be a mess either way. [b]Chuong:[/b] I think I'll try the sparkling water. Super C mentioned blackberry lemonade, so I'll give it a try. [b]Event Staff 2:[/b] Please have some. [b]Chuong:[/b] *Drinks some blackberry lemonade sparkling water.* It's actually really good! [b]Jack:[/b] Oh, look! Mr. Brown brand canned coffee! I didn't know Taiwan was known for this. [b]Chuong:[/b] That's super popular throughout Asia. It's good stuff! Don't forget that Indonesia is known for their coffee, too. [b]Zax:[/b] The BOSS brand of canned coffee looks like it's better and more elegant. That's from Japan. [b]Chuong:[/b] Very popular there and it's really good. I think BOSS is better than Mr. Brown. [b]Zax:[/b] I think I'll buy a can of BOSS. *Buys the canned coffee from the vendor before drinking it.* I like it actually! [b]Jack:[/b] No good military ration is ever complete without some instant coffee packets, and look at all these instant coffee packets on display here. Choices, choices, choices. *Lionus himself also drinks a can of BOSS.* [b]Lionus:[/b] First Japanese beverage I ever drank, actually. [b]Cripto:[/b] How is it? [b]Lionus:[/b] Not bad; it's quite something, actually. And by the way, I've also declared the AIRAF public enemy number one. The Claudius Administration will not stand for their acts or antics. [b]Leo:[/b] Claudius Administration; I like that. Sounds imperial. [b]Chuong:[/b] That's what I was saying, too. [b]Mechayote:[/b] So is everybody else. *To Lionus* Good thing you got more support from around the world, since they've witnessed their high-tech antics, too. [b]Chuong:[/b] Their space exploration missions are quite concerning, since we don't know if they're utilizing it to increase their weaponry or not. Thank goodness the C.I.D.F. cut them off before putting their own space facilities throughout space instead. Thanks to that, I can see any planet live and up close from the comfort of my own home. [b]Shadow Hunter:[/b] More importantly, it is allowing government and military officials to do the same from their offices to identify threats way ahead of time. Mission control back at NASA was busy when the AIRAF was out trying to take over Enceladus. [b]Nadav:[/b] We were busy shooting down the AIRAF's drones, since it's clear that they want to peek into our military tech. But after that, we celebrated our victory with some Turkish coffee. Full-flavored and strong victory. [b]Tyler:[/b] I think I'll try some Turkish coffee. *Tries some Turkish coffee.* Oh, wow... Very strong flavor indeed. Very deep and well roasted. [b]Lautaro:[/b] Oh, please. Mexican coffee has some nice spice to it. *Drinks some Mexican coffee.* Our coffee make the Americans envious. Just ask Leandro about it and he'll tell you the truth! No disrespect to the Americans, of course. [b]Zax:[/b] *Drinks some Mexican coffee.* Cinnamon and coffee makes an excellent combination. Milk in it makes it better. As an American, you are correct to say that your coffee makes us envy for it. Good thing I live in Texas, where this type of coffee is more common there. [b]Lautaro:[/b] Because remember, Texas was Mexican territory. Texas may be American territory now, but its Mexican influences and heritage never left. [b]Juno:[/b] Oh, yeah; if you make Mexican coffee using coffee beans grown and imported from Hawaii, you won't look at coffee the same way again. It's that good! Hawaii may seem like a tiny American state consisting of islands at first, but it's often described as the tropical Garden of Eden. [b]Zax:[/b] One of America's best kept secrets. [b]Chuong:[/b] Also incredibly quiet, last time I've been there. If you're looking for a bit of fun with more of something to do, you're better off with California or Florida for a summer vacation. [b]Zax:[/b] True. Hawaii is out in the Pacific Ocean, so, yes; it's going to be very quiet there. Very small state, too, so it's basically impossible to get lost without the use of GPS. [b]Super C:[/b] *to Lautaro* Hence the expression Tex-Mex if I am not mistaken. [b]Lionus:[/b] The C.I.D.F. and the G-52s the best things that ever happened to this universe. We've seen that with the way the former beat the AIRAF to the punch. Now they control the universe, not the AIRAF. [b]Lautaro:[/b] You could say that. Also, most of the tacos in Texas looks similar to alambre, which is very popular across Mexico but are somewhat different from their forms in most parts of America. Alambre consists of steak fajitas with cheese, tomatoes, and onions at least, but the tortillas are usually corn tortillas served separately with it. In America, alambre is sometimes served in the tortillas as tacos. [b]Chuong:[/b] Thank goodness for that Lionus. On top of that, with the C.I.D.F.s tech in colonizing space, they allow us to see any planet in any galaxy instantly from anywhere too. [b]Konrad:[/b] But mission control are the ones exchanging data about the planets' conditions at least. For example, discussions of what Enceladus' oceans actually consist of beyond water are usually done with space agencies like NASA. [b]Dalton:[/b] *Chats with his fellow British soldiers about instant coffee packets.* These packets come from allover the world. Choose your favorite instant coffee packet, mix it with some Irish milk or cream, and you got yourself a nice cup of coffee. [b]British Soldier 1:[/b] Better to have some frozen coffee cubes into the mix of milk and cold coffee. Makes it for a wonderful drink during summer. [b]British Soldier 2:[/b] Say that's a good idea! [b]British Soldier 3:[/b] And I heard we're going to have vending machines in our bases that allows us to choose our own rations. The future is wonderful isn't it? [b]Dalton:[/b] It is. But remember, some of the upgrades we're having on base are luxuries so don't take them for granted. [b]British Soldier 4:[/b] The Claudius Administration does a wonderful job providing us troops with something extra to help us cope with the AIRAF's threats. [b]British Soldier 5:[/b] I consider them to be rewards for shooting down the AIRAF's drones here. We can't have them nose in to our lives too much. [b]Jack:[/b] I think those instant coffee packets come in handy. I think America could use a few more vending machines that sells instant coffee packets. [b]Chuong:[/b] I remember now! You can use those packets to add granulated or powdered coffee into chocolate as well! You can make coffee-flavored macarons with those! I think having more vending machines that sells instant coffee packets in America would sell very well. [b]Jack:[/b] They'll sell like hotcakes in Seattle! Yes America needs more of those! I'm sure Americans who work on-the-go would appreciate them; especially our soldiers. [b]Yamazaki:[/b] I'm going to guess that the UK will never have enough vending machines that sells coffee and tea packets. What do you say, Neon Blade? [b]Neon Blade:[/b] I'd have to agree with you on that. As long we have tourists who say they wished they had vending machines in their communities, there will always be a demand for vending machines. [b]British Soldier 6:[/b] I think I'll buy the Indonesian coffee packets. *Buys a box of Indonesian coffee packets.* [b]Chuong:[/b] *To Lencho* It's quite amazing how your country's ancient discovery of coffee led to all of this. Good thing we have this festival to show everything about coffee in one place, including 3D printed objects made with coffee grounds. So how do you feel about this fact that such an ancient discovery in your country led to all of this? [b]Lencho:[/b] It's mind-boggling, but I'm not bothered by it. Now everybody knows the truth, and that's what is important to me. [b]Super C:[/b] Alambre? I think I have eaten that dish before. [b]Lionus:[/b] Their success has also made the [i]Star Trek[/i] franchise more popular than ever here in the UK. That's not my cup of tea, though. I can see why they enjoy it, because parts of it to them became reality. [b]Lautaro:[/b] *To Super C* You most likely have eaten a variant of it in a Mexican restaurant in America even though they never specified alambre in their menus. [b]Juno:[/b] Texas' Mexican restaurants have at least variants of alambre. [b]Chuong:[/b] *To Lionus* I noticed that for some reason, there's always at least a significant number of American furries being trekkies. But most furries I know tend to be more into anime. [b]Zax:[/b] Back in my hometown in Dallas, most American anime voice actors actually live there. We also have a lot of anime conventions and meetups for anime fans there. [b]Neon Blade:[/b] BOSS coffee and anime could go hand-in-hand. Though Ryo tends to describe Japan as unbiblical because of some anime and certain aspects of Japanese pop culture, we are more wonderful than what even most of us Japanese tend to think. [b]Juno:[/b] I wonder if coffee is a big thing in Japan. [b]Neon Blade:[/b] It actually is. We even have local groups dedicated to local fans of coffee that they even have meetups just for coffee. [b]Juno:[/b] That's interesting. In America, we call that an in-person business meeting. [b]Chuong:[/b] In Vietnam, we call that a typical night. [b]Dalton:[/b] Here in the UK, we call that a typical normal day. [b]Lautaro:[/b] In Mexico, we call that a typical winter. [b]Kirk:[/b] In Canada, what Dalton said. Just another day in my country. As a Canadian, I wasn't aware that in some countries, coffee is reserved for special occasions. [b]Nadav:[/b] You'd probably be surprised. In Ethiopian weddings, everybody gets coffee. That means when Lencho attends a wedding as a guest in his country, the first thing they do is serve him coffee. Sometimes, they step it up with desserts with coffee in them. [b]Jack:[/b] Sounds like a fun time. [b]Nadav:[/b] Israeli weddings; lots of dancing, loud music, mass singing, and that's just the minimum. We basically don't do noise complaints in Israel since there's always a party for something daily there, which is normal. [b]Jack:[/b] The Jews know how to party. [b]Nadav:[/b] Of course we do! If you know anything about Purim, you'll know why. [b]Lionus:[/b] I noticed that myself, but I couldn't tell you why. The C.I.D.F. may have had some influence; a bunch of them are Trekkies. Sci-fi's not my cup of tea, though. If anything I watch on the telly these days fancies me, it's a quiz show. The lockdowns from CNG and COVID-19 we had forced us to do more of those and less of everything else. But now that those things are gone (though the virus mutates so it may come back without warning), we can start doing other genres again. We're still doing [i]Doctor Who[/i] after all these years. [b]Leo:[/b] Oh, yes. It doesn't any more iconic than that when it comes to your television shows. *One of the marching bands nearby (but not the one that wore the coffee uniforms) rehearses the [i]Thunderbirds[/i] theme.* [b]Leo:[/b] What is that one, though? [b]Lionus:[/b] [i]Thunderbirds.[/i] [b]Zax:[/b] Oh, yes; we've got to have the marching bands of course. [b]Summer:[/b] Coffee pairs nicely with a full breakfast or bap. Now that I think about this, I think it makes a good pairing for spam in full breakfasts or baps. [b]Zax:[/b] You like spam? I think it's all right. A bit more on the salty side but truly tasty! It's a must have for soldiers. [b]Chuong:[/b] I actually love spam! It boggles my mind how Americans have very mixed reviews on it. [b]Summer:[/b] They're best for frying on pans. [b]Jack:[/b] I don't see the big deal about them. But I noticed that in Korea, spam is popularly used in kimbap, which is the Korean equivalent to sushi rolls. Spam is popular in modern Japanese cuisine too much to my surprise. I know in Hawaii, spam musubi is popular there. [b]Chuong:[/b] I should make fried rice with spam and pineapple. [b]Zax:[/b] I can actually see how the two ingredients can go together. [b]Mechayote:[/b] Spam and pineapple... Chuong, that's actually a great idea you mentioned! [b]Zax:[/b] And coffee imported from Hawaii or Mexico. [b]Jack:[/b] Hawaiian coffee is better in my opinion. [b]Lautaro:[/b] But Mexico grows coffee on volcanic ashes, too. With our farming towers, growing them in controlled conditions with fertilizer helps produce the best coffee possible for the world. I think our coffee is better but in Mexico, you drink them from clay cups, which are specifically made for our coffee. [b]Handoko/Henry:[/b] Indonesian coffee is to die for. The Dutch once fought us for our coffee. [b]Xavier:[/b] Brazil is the global producer and leader in coffee. As a Brazilian, I think it's silly to watch people argue whose country has the best coffee in the world. My country is the answer. Laurencio the Jungle Lion is truly fortunate to taste the best coffee in the world on his regular basis. [b]Summer:[/b] Looks like we're getting close to a bragging match over coffee. [b]Handoko/Henry:[/b] Brazil was a Portuguese colony. In Indonesia, we fought and kept our land. We're the ones protecting our coffee because the Dutch were willing to die for them at the time. And what is this Hawaiian coffee? One of those American secrets? [b]Zax:[/b] And one of our best kept secrets, too. Hawaiian coffee is so good, it makes people want to visit Hawaii. [b]Leo:[/b] That kind of spam I don't mind. It's the junk mail type of spam I hate. [b]Super C:[/b] *to Lautruo, Zax, and Juno* Watch your comments on the coffee; I don't want rivalries getting out of control. Once I had to punish COP and Diamond Knight because they wouldn't stop arguing over soccer. I don't want to do that again. [b]Leo:[/b] It's like arguing over a hamburger. [b]Super C:[/b] *to Xavier* If you say Brazil is in first place, though, I believe you. [b]Xavier:[/b] The International Coffee Organization and several other global organizations confirmed this. Others may disagree, but Brazil is the king of coffee. [b]Chuong:[/b] Hey; don't forget my country is a major exporter of coffee, too. We have coffeehouses, too, you know. [b]Lautaro:[/b] I hope not. [b]Zax:[/b] Wow; I never thought I'd see so many people argue over coffee today. [b]Dalton:[/b] It's International Coffee Day and you're in the city where the International Coffee Organization is headquartered in. Of course people here will argue over coffee. Just not as intensively as football. [b]Zax:[/b] Soccer to be more precise. Well, soccer to us; it is football to you. Too bad I doubt my Cowboys will even make it to the playoffs this season. [b]Mechayote:[/b] My money is on the Bucs; not literally, of course. [b]Dustin:[/b] The Dolphins are pretty good, too. [b]Super C:[/b] Sorry; I just can't stand arguments over trivial things. [b]Lionus:[/b] No harm done. I think of what you call soccer when I say "football;" your version is officially called "gridiron football." [b]Leo:[/b] What's your team? [b]Lionus:[/b] The reality is football wasn't really my thing. I was born here in London, though I had to relocate to somewhere else because of me horse. But if I had to pick a team, given my history, I think I would select Arsenal. [b]Super C:[/b] The gunners? [b]Lionus:[/b] Yes. That's the nickname. [b]Leo:[/b] *to Dalton* What about you? [b]Dalton:[/b] I prefer Arsenal myself. [b]Summer:[/b] Manchester United but I'm thinking about switching to Manchester City. [b]Chuong:[/b] I thought Manchester United was a good team. [b]Summer:[/b] Was... [b]Super C:[/b] I think we'd better leave it at that. -------------- --------------- ---------------- [b]Super C:[/b] [i](narrating)[/i] And so we did. But we all did have a good time at the International Coffee Day celebration. It made for a good day for all of us to catch up with one another. [b]Lionus:[/b] [i](narrating)[/i] And it allowed us another look at how while the world takes different approaches to different things, the diversity is what makes it so beautiful, and shows the genius that God is when He created the world. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more G-52s adventures, but until then, it's goodbye from them... [b]All G-52s in Unison:[/b] [i](narrating)[/i] Goodbye. [b]Lionus:[/b] [i](narrating)[/i] ...and it's goodbye from me. Goodbye. ------------ [color=black][b]THE END[/b][/color]